


Lotus Flower

by Ruikumo



Series: All I Need [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-21
Updated: 2013-03-25
Packaged: 2017-12-06 01:05:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/729917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruikumo/pseuds/Ruikumo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A totally unexpected phase of your life begins with a deceptively simple question.<br/>“Why don’t we ask Father for permission to marry?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The events of this story follow those in "Filled Up with Noise," but this story can stand on its own. In this, Hinata and Neji are 18 and 19, respectively. In "Filled Up with Noise," they were 17 and 18, so about a year has passed.
> 
> In this story arc, the Fourth Shinobi World War either never happened, or ended without materially altering the lives of the main characters. I say this just to get that out of the way, because I'm not interested in the geopolitical aspects of the Naruto world, just with the politics of the clans and government of Konoha, to a small degree, and with the interpersonal relationships of the characters, to a much larger degree.
> 
> This is shaping up to be a fairly epic multichapter, probably longer than my earlier story "A Change in Season." We'll see. I'm going to try to publish in chunks that feel somewhat rounded off, since I know how it feels to be left hanging by an unfinished story. ;)
> 
> As a side note, this series was inspired by Radiohead's "Nude", "All I Need", and "Lotus Flower", if you're interested in looking up the lyrics.
> 
> Now that all of that's out of the way, I hope you enjoy the story!

A totally unexpected phase of your life begins with a deceptively simple question.

“Why don’t we ask Father for permission to marry?”

You look down at her in amazement. She’s lying with her head on your chest and you are both tucked into your bed - this place seeming marginally safer than the bed in her room, in the main house. You manage to have liaisons in various places outside of the Hyuuga compound, also, but somehow neither of you can stay away from each other’s arms and this place of warmth in the dead of night. You always think that she should be more careful, be back in her own bedroom long before daylight. But she is always loath to go, and you are always loath to make her, so you usually fall asleep with her, then jolt awake in the pre-dawn hour, rouse her, and watch her scramble to get back, but not before hastily planting a kiss on your sleepy mouth. You’ve come to realize that it’s not so much the sex that you both crave as the sense of belonging and domestic stability, so the question makes sense - but it's still completely unexpected.

Your mind jumps through a myriad of complications and objections and delivers one to your mouth at random. “We - we’re not old enough.”

“I know,” she says, with the patient tone of a schoolteacher. “If we were old enough, we wouldn’t have to ask for permission.”

This statement gives your brain another sizable bite of information to chew through. The stupefaction induced by this astounding idea - that if you were both old enough, she would marry you without asking her father for permission - leads you to say something stupid. “You - you really want to marry me?”

She gives you a hurt look. “Of course I do.”

“Ah -” _I’m an idiot,_ you berate yourself. You embrace her more tightly and kiss her forehead. “I love you, Hinata.”

She sighs forgivingly. “I love you, too, Neji-nii.”

You’re quiet for a while, mulling the possibilities. A cold finger of fear touches you. “What if he says no?” you murmur into her hair.

“I don’t think he will.”

You’re surprised at the confidence in her voice. You are not at all confident. The relationships between the Main and Branch families, between you and your uncle, and even between you and this girl that you love, are so extremely complicated that all you are sure of on this point is fear. You are afraid of getting caught, you are afraid of the possible punishment, but most of all you are afraid that you’ll lose her, and never be able to hold her in your arms again. This hierarchy of fear leads you to prefer the stealth and sneaking, even for another two years, after which you could marry without clan input and then brave whatever storm raged, secure in the knowledge that she could not be taken away from you. 

Hinata hates the sneaking, though. She's a fundamentally honest person, and even more difficult for her than the sneaking is the pretending. You and she have this wonderful thing, this beautiful love story, and she can't tell anyone about it, not even her friends. You know that hurts her. She wants to tell everyone. She wants them to share in her happiness. She thinks they should be happy for her - she thinks that they _will_ be happy for her - even her father and sister, who have shown as little care for her happiness as anyone could for their daughter or sibling. For years she was a nonentity in their house and even now their relationship is only marginally warmer - she has moved from being a nonentity to an also-ran. 

You think that this undampened and unrealistic optimism is at the root of her statement, so you argue and reason. The latter part of this conversation repeats itself dozens of times over the following weeks. 

"If he says no, what will we do? We'll have to - to leave Konoha, go into hiding - if we could even manage it. They'd be watching us."

She considers it, and you, very thoughtfully. She chews her lower lip while she considers, and you have come to recognize this habit as a sign of concentration, not nervousness. "We would manage," she says finally. "But I don't believe he'll say no."

"You keep saying that," you say, exasperated. "But -"

"You're very important to him, you know." This statement takes you aback. Hinata's eyes are clouded with introspection. "When he sees you, he sees his brother, too. He sees events that he regrets, things he wishes he could undo." Her eyes sharpen and meet yours directly. "If we both sit before him and ask him for this together, I don't believe he'll be able to say no."

Somehow, that convinces you. 

…

He does not say no. He does not say yes. 

Hiashi is a master of inscrutability. It is a trait that both you and he share. You can detect a variety of emotions behind his motionless face, but they are very hard to read. He seems surprised, and yet not. It is a very difficult thing to conjecture upon, but if you were pressed to, you would say that he is surprised at the _event_ , but not the _cause_. This makes you uneasy. In the back of your mind, you wonder how much he knows. There are other emotions to read behind the granite visage, however. As he looks from you to his daughter, you seem to detect something like excitement, even triumph. One other feeling you pick up as he watches his daughter, and Hinata does not flinch, does not lower her head, but meets his gaze levely and returns it. _Pride_. 

Hiashi speaks, and his voice gives away as little as his face. “You realize, I cannot make a decision like this on my own. The clan council will have to be consulted.”

Hinata keeps her chin level. Her eyes, so like and yet unlike her father's, seem to take in everything he is leaving unsaid and figure out what he wants to hear. “Father is the head of the Hyuuga clan. I believe if it is your will to have it so, it will be so.”

Once more, you see that spark of pride gleam from deep within his eye. 

…

Weeks pass without further event. Then you are startled by someone opening your bedroom door in the middle of the night and swiftly closing it behind them. You tense and automatically reach for the kunai at your bedside, but a candle quickly flares to illuminate a face in the darkness.

“Hiashi-sama?”

His face looks drawn, even gaunt, as he moves toward you. His voice is low, barely above a whisper. “Neji, you must get dressed. Where is Hinata?”

You are scrambling out of bed and do not process until later that he expects you to know his daughter's whereabouts in the middle of the night. “I don’t - In her room, I assume.”

“I will send her to you. Pack anything that you think you will need. Take these.” He hands you a small scroll and a wallet. “As soon as Hinata comes to you, you both must leave. Stay in an inn if you must, but with friends would be better.” The candle goes out and he disappears before you can say a word.

You dress and pack as you would for a mission, with the addition of Hiashi's parcels and a few Shinto meditation scrolls. You look around the room. You have few personal possessions, very little that you would regret leaving behind. In actual fact, and as sappy as it sounds, all that you need is with you when your door opens softly once more and a girl with long, dark hair walks in. 

“Neji?”

“Hinata.” You take her hand.

Her expression is a compound of distress and confusion. “Father -”

You squeeze her hand and lead her forward. “Come, we must go.” You slip out of the window together and in two leaps, you are over the compound wall. When you reach the edge of the village proper, you pause. “Where should we -? Gai-sensei -?”

The run seems to have cleared her head. “Let’s go to Kiba-kun.” You groan inwardly, but understand the reasoning. A clan can offer protection that no single person or family could, and the Inuzuka are the most likely not to give a damn about clan politics or offending the Hyuuga.

Outside the Inuzuka wall, Hinata pulls you to a halt. She tugs on a cord hanging around her neck, extracting a slender whistle from under her jacket. A signal? She blows, and you hear nothing, but a second later there is a sharp bark from inside the wall and a few low growls. Hinata pulls a handful of dried flowers from her pouch and crushes them, blowing the dust toward the wall. A furry, flop-eared head appears at the top of the wall, followed by his human companion Kiba, looking very tousled, but sharp-eyed and a kunai in hand. “Hinata? What -?” He breaks off, looking at you with hard eyes. 

“Kiba-kun, I’m very sorry to disturb you, but can we please stay with you tonight?”

“We..?” His eyes travel back and forth between the two of you, and his mouth tenses, but he shrugs with one shoulder. “Yeah, OK. Come around this way.” He and Akamaru disappear behind the wall and Hinata leads you around to the wide wooden gate. It opens and Akamaru trots out and pushes into Hinata’s arms. She hugs him and rubs his ears. Kiba is still standing inside the door and all three of you enter. The whistle apparently attracted others’ attention; Kiba is gesturing to several other dogs, a few with human companions. “It’s OK, it’s just my friends. Sorry to wake you guys.” Hinata bows her apologies to all of them, and you bow stiffly, once. Hinata is murmuring apologies again, and Kiba says, “It’s alright, Hinata, let’s just go inside, yeah?”

You all go into a house where light is spilling out through an open doorway. Kiba’s mother and sister are waiting in the kitchen and again, you and Hinata bow deeply. “Tsume-san, Hana-san, we’re very sorry to disturb you at this hour,” Hinata says.

Tsume, seated at the kitchen table, says, “Never mind, Hinata-chan. It must be something important for you to come at this time of night.” You both rise from your bows. 

Kiba scratches the back of his head and gives you a sidelong glance. “What’s it about, Hinata?”

Hinata colors and looks at you, while you remove the scroll from her father from your bag. “Ah...well, I’m not sure yet, b-but I have a guess....”

The Inuzuka are puzzled, naturally. You walk toward the table, unrolling the scroll and laying it flat. Inside is a folded letter addressed to Hinata and you. But the contents of the scroll immediately arrest everyone’s attention.

“Permission to marry...?” Hana’s eyes are wide as they look from Hinata to you. “Hinata-chan?” Kiba looks at you both incredulously. 

You push the letter to the side so that you can read the scroll without obstruction. There is your name and hers, and at the bottom, the signature of Hyuuga Hiashi and the seal of the head of the Hyuuga clan. Your heart thrums with nervous excitement. You pick up the letter and fumble with its folds.

“We asked Father for permission about a month ago,” Hinata says, anxiously watching you out of the corner of her eye. Kiba coughs chokingly. “I thought that he would make it happen, but it seems that it may have cost him more than I anticipated.” Her brows crease and she quickly joins you as you unfurl the letter’s many folds. You scan it quickly. At the top, outlined in a heavy black line, are two directives from Hiashi: one urging you to marry as soon as possible, and the other specifically to you, warning you to keep away from the Hyuuga and never to leave Hinata’s side - “I beg you, Neji, guard my daughter with your best care and caution. It is not merely her life and freedom that you guard, but the very future of the Hyuuga. I am trusting you with that which is more precious to me than my life.” You and Hinata look at each other. Her face is flushed and her eyes sparkle with tears. You wrap an arm around her shoulders and kiss her forehead, as she blinks and rubs her eyes. You lower the letter and find the Inuzuka family watching you both, Tsume and Hana amazed and curious, Kiba red-faced and outraged.

Hinata sniffs and turns back to your hosts, squeezing your free hand in hers. “We need to get married tomorrow.” Kiba explodes and sputters. Tsume-san strikes him in the back of the head, rising from the table.

“Let’s leave discussion for the morning and get some rest now. Alright?” She eyes her progeny.

“Right,” says Hana. “Hinata-chan, you can sleep with me. Neji-kun, you can stay in Kiba’s room, OK?”

You nod your acknowledgement, fold the letter, and put it your pocket. Kiba glares at you, his fangs still showing. He turns to the hallway and growls, “Come on, then.” Akamaru pads over to Hinata and bumps her with his head, then looks back at Kiba. Kiba gives his animal companion the barest nod, then glares at you once more and moves down the hallway. 

You squeeze Hinata’s hand again and hold her eyes with yours for a moment. “I’ll see you in the morning.” She smiles and nods firmly. You release her hand and follow Kiba.

Kiba points to his closet with his back toward you. “Get a futon out of there, there should be a spare.” You follow his directions silently, while he gets into bed, facing the wall. You unfold the futon on the floor, find a spare blanket, turn out the light, and pull the blanket over you. You are tired, but wound up. A part of you wants to read the rest of the letter, which was long and written in a loose, hasty script. But you think that Hinata should read it with you, and you don’t want to impose on the hospitality of your hosts by keeping her up any later.

You turn toward the host in this room. “Kiba, thank you for letting us stay here.”

He rolls onto his back abruptly. You feel that he’s been waiting to explode at you. “What the hell is going on, anyway?” he hisses. “Hinata’s getting _married?_ To _you?_ Running away from home? What the _hell_ -?”

You sigh and roll onto your back also. You stare up at the ceiling while you think about how to answer. “We’ve been, ah - together... for a while now.” You hear him bristle in the dark. You sigh again. “But we kept it secret because... the clan... you can’t just say, I’m dating this person now... especially not Hinata-sama.” You feel the limpness of your explanation and shift restlessly. “Do you know how many love matches were made in the last generation of Hyuuga? You could probably count them on one hand and still have a couple of fingers left over. So we hid it. But Hinata didn’t want to hide anymore.” Kiba inhales sharply when you say her name without an honorific. You push on. “She had this idea to ask her father for permission to marry. I didn’t want to. I thought it would be the end of us. But she insisted. She thought her father would agree. And she was right....” You chuckle softly. “Except it seems that he had to defy the Hyuuga council, and now we have to defend ourselves from our own clan members.” You laugh a very dry, very tired laugh. “So we really owe you a lot for just taking us in tonight, and I’m really sorry for any trouble that might come your way from it. We’ll try to get out of your hair as soon as we can.”

It’s quiet for a moment, then Kiba says, slowly, “What do you mean, you have to defend yourselves from the clan?”

“It’s in Hiashi-sama’s instructions. We didn’t read the whole letter yet, just the first part. So I don’t know what it is they want to do to us. Confine us, or maybe marry Hinata-sama off to someone else, or - I don’t know. He told me I have to guard her life and freedom. I don’t think that means that they want to kill her or anything, I think he means the life that she wants to live.” You’re rambling because you’re so tired and your nerves are coming unstrung.

“Her life and freedom.” The silence stretches out and your eyes close sleepily. You come out of your drowse as Kiba speaks again. “You know, Hinata is one of my best friends. I think of her like a - a little sister. So if there’s something threatening her, I’m going to stand up for her. And - if you’re protecting her, then I’m going to help you. There’s no way I’m leaving you guys high and dry. So you guys can stay here as long as you need to. And if any of those Hyuuga bastards tries to hurt Hinata, they’re going to meet my fangs.”

You listen to the rough words with a complicated mix of emotions. You’re pretty sure that Kiba regards Hinata with feelings other than brotherly. You’re quite sure that until recently - maybe until this very moment - he regarded you as one of “those Hyuuga bastards.” But you also recognize the deep loyalty and generosity inherent in the words, and the overwhelming feeling is of gratitude. You’re not sure what you’re going to have to defend Hinata from, and you are glad to have help from people that you can trust. Kiba may not like you, but he’s as straightforward as anyone you know. You have no fear that he will stab you in the back, either literally or metaphorically. 

“Thank you, Kiba. You have my most profound gratitude.”

He sniffs. “Damned formal bastard,” he grumbles.

You smile in the darkness. “I would put my forehead to the floor, but I don’t think you could see me.”

“I’m not asking you to do that, ya jerk. Go to sleep already.”

Thankful for soft beds, warm shelter, and accepting friends, you do.


	2. Chapter 2

You wake very early in the morning. The strangeness of your surroundings helps you sleep lightly. As soon as the barest trace of light appears in the sky, you rise and throw off the covers, your stomach knotting nervously. You fold the blanket and futon and replace them in the closet. Kiba grunts questioningly, then rubs his eyes and sits up. You nod at him and move to the door. Growling a little resentfully, he gestures to you to go ahead, still rubbing his eyes and shaking his head.

As you leave the room, you see Hinata and Hana both emerge from another bedroom, Akamaru trotting by your fiancée’s side. The word occurs to you as you see her face and the feeling of anxiety lightens for a moment into nervous anticipation. _Right now, she’s my betrothed, and today, she’ll be my wife._ An incredulous smile spreads across your face. She smiles back and reaches for your hand. Together you walk to the kitchen with Hana-san, and find that Tsume-san is already there with a pot of hot coffee. She pours mugs for all of you and Kiba appears, fully dressed, after you take your first sip. You put your mug down and say, “We need to go to the Hokage’s office right away.” Hinata squeezes your hand and nods.

“Akamaru and I will go with you,” says Kiba.

Hana has poured milk in her mug, so that it’s half milk, half coffee. She takes two big gulps and says, “The triplets and I will go along, too, to make sure you get there OK.” She exchanges a look with Hinata and you surmise that they had a similar conversation to yours with Kiba.

Tsume-san nods at her son and daughter. Then she looks at you and Hinata and says, “I’ll see you later.” She gives each word a distinct weight. You both bow deeply to her, and then Hinata hugs the fierce woman, whispering, “Thank you so much, Tsume-san.” Tsume pats Hinata’s head.

All of you - four humans, four dogs - dash from the Inuzuka compound to the Academy administration building. The village is nearly deserted at this early hour. “Should we go to the office now? It’s too early for Tsunade-sama to be there, isn’t it?” Kiba asks.

Hinata is biting her lip and gazing at the building. “Let’s go ahead. She might be there. If not, we can wait.” Silently, you agree. It will in any case be safer to wait at the Hokage's office than to be out in the open. You make your way up the winding stairs.

Tsunade-sama is not, for a wonder, asleep on a stack of papers at her desk. The Hokage’s office is empty, so you all wait in the hallway. You pull out Hiashi-sama’s letter from your pocket and turn to Hinata. “We should read this.” She nods. You unfold the letter together while Hana and Kiba feed their canine companions treats and rub their bellies.

> I have not been the father that I should have been to you, Hinata. I do not believe I was the husband that your mother wanted me to be. I was not the brother that I should have been to your father, Neji. All I have left to me is to be the clan head that the Hyuuga needs. That is why I am doing the best I can to secure a safe future for the both of you, for it will be in your future that the future of the clan is decided.
> 
> I pass my days inside the walls of a home riddled with resentment and division. That it rumbles beneath the surface does not mean I do not feel it. But I have no right to complain, for I have been a sower of such seeds myself, and if I have been the creator of my own despair, who better than I to feel it?
> 
> I do not know how to remedy the harm that I have caused and enabled. The small steps that I have taken have already caused alarm among those who believe they prefer the status quo, and create further resentment and division where I meant to ameliorate it. The worm eats its own tail - and this worm is a viper. I have come to the conclusion that there is no choice but to break out of the cycle entirely.
> 
> I wish for you two to marry and build a life outside the clan. Secure the respect and faith of your colleagues in Konohagakure, as a couple, as you have already done as individuals. As you sat before me some weeks ago, I saw in your fresh perspectives, and in your mutual love, the future of a Hyuuga clan freed from rancor between the Main and Branch family lines. My daughter, I will hold the headship until you can come back to claim it. I keep your sister near me, that she may not be infected by the taint, and I prepare her for a day when the Hyuuga estate is a place of harmony rather than acrimony. She longs for the day as I do.
> 
> I have cautioned you to guard your safety. As you may guess, there are those in the Main line that do not agree with my plan. They would arrange your fates differently. If the more radical among them were given the opportunity, it is possible they would mark Hinata with the curse seal, despite such a use being strictly against all traditions. I know that this is abhorrent to both of you, that you would abolish the use of the seal in all cases. Perhaps that will be part of the revolution that you will enact when you are head, Hinata. 
> 
> It is my hope to calm circumstances enough that we may be able to see each other on occasion. Until that time, you have my best wishes for your married life. I am sorry it could not begin under more auspicious conditions, but I have faith that the two of you will be able thrive through any adversity. 
> 
> I do not have words to apologize to you enough for the harm I have done to you, to our family. When next I see you, it will be to bow my head before you. 
> 
> Stay safe, my daughter. Guard her well, my son-in-law. 
> 
> Your father,
> 
> Hyuuga Hiashi

As you reach the end of the letter, you look down at Hinata and see her breathing quick and shallow, chewing on her lip furiously, her brow furrowed. You slip an arm around her shoulder and she turns to you. Her eyes hold a melange of distressed emotions. Hana and Kiba notice that you have finished with the letter. "What's up?" Kiba asks. "I'm guessing it's pretty bad."

"It's not good," you say, still keeping your eyes on Hinata. You sense a storm seething under her lowered eyes. You need to explain the situation to Kiba, but you want to leave the more personal aspects out of it. "We need to stay away from our clan. There are some radical elements against our marriage that want to put the curse seal on Hinata-sama."

"What?!" Kiba looks outraged.

"It's not for certain that they would," Hinata says, quietly. She seems calmer now, but there is still something about her voice that makes you nervous. "Father warns us about it as a possibility. But there are people against our marriage, and want to separate us. We have to stay away for now, and make a life for ourselves outside the clan." She looks up at you and the fury recedes from her eyes. She smiles a little ruefully at you. "This was some idea of mine, wasn't it?"

You laugh in surprise. "I'm not blaming you. I'd still rather walk down the street with you as my wife than only be able to visit you in the shadows, even under these circumstances."

Your wife-to-be blushes and leans against your shoulder, smiling. Hana smiles at you both and sighs. Kiba scoffs, looking away. 

A few minutes later, you hear footsteps tapping up the hallway. You and Hinata stand and peer down the hall. Tsunade's assistant Shizune approaches. "Hana-san? Why are you here? And so early?"

"My brother and I are just escorts," Hana replies, pointing to the two of you.

You both bow quickly to the medical nin. "Shizune-san, we need to speak to Godaime-sama as soon as possible."

"To Tsunade-sama?" She looks from Hinata's face to yours and then glances at the Inuzuka siblings. She turns back to you and says, "Here, why don't you wait inside?" She opens the door to the Hokage's office. 

Hana says, "Hinata-chan, Neji-kun, it looks like you're in good hands, so I'll be on my way. I'll see you later at our house, yeah?"

Hinata says, "Hana-san, thank you so much for everything," while you bow your thanks to the older Inuzuka. Hana smiles and waves as she leaves with the three Haimaru brothers.

"I'll stay," Kiba mutters in an undertone, flicking a glance at you. You nod back, and the three of you follow Shizune into the office.

Shizune sets some files on the desk, and then says, "I'll bring Tsunade-sama as soon as I can. May I tell her what this is about?"

You and Hinata exchange looks and her lips purse. "It's a Hyuuga matter," you say, quietly.

Shizune's brow lifts just a bit and she nods. "I see. I'll be back as soon as I can. Please feel free to make yourselves comfortable."

The three of you take seats along the wall as she leaves the office. Akamaru rests his head in Hinata's lap and she leans forward to bury her face in his fur. Kiba takes a coin out of his pocket and flips it in the air, catching it as it falls. You lean back and close your eyes, trying to meditate.

Kiba breaks the silence a few minutes later. "Is it alright if I ask you a question?"

Hinata raises her head, and you open your eyes and turn toward him. Kiba understands the implicit invitation and asks, "Why would your clan want to put the curse seal on Hinata?"

Hinata glances at you. "So that she could never be clan head," you reply.

Kiba frowns. "But, I didn't think that was an issue. I mean," he says, looking at Hinata, "I thought that wasn't really in the cards, or am I wrong?"

"You're not wrong," Hinata replies quietly. "But in his letter, Father says he plans for me to become the clan head after him."

"What?" Kiba looks flabbergasted. "What's with all your dad's sudden reversals?"

Hinata scratches Akamaru's ears, staring into space. "That's a very good question."

"Besides that," you put in, "the curse seal is a way of controlling people. Even if they would never use it on her, it's a way of making her feel that she's under their thumbs. That she's owned by them." Hinata turns sad eyes on you. You know that they're sad for you, not herself. You stroke her cheek. "I'll never let them do it to you. Not even if it costs me my life."

"Hell, yeah," says Kiba, sounding aggrieved. "I second that."

Hinata looks gratefully at him, and so do you. There is a glaring flaw in Hiashi's plan for Hinata's protection, and that is that you are marked with the seal and are therefore vulnerable to any Main house member at all. No matter your skill with Jyuken when your opponent can fry your brain with a single hand sign. This vulnerability is so obvious that you wonder if your uncle is becoming senile before his time, or if this is all an elaborate hoax whose point eludes you. "I'm going to hold you to that, Kiba," you say seriously. You exchange a long look with the Inuzuka.

"Hell, yeah," he says again. "Nobody's doing that shit to my friends while I'm around."

The corner of your mouth twitches upward. You lean back and close your eyes again.

Some ten or fifteen minutes pass and then you hear footsteps approaching. You all turn toward the door. The Hokage strides in with Shizune behind her, and you get to your feet.

"Well?" Tsunade says, a hand on her hip. "What is this Hyuuga matter that requires such early rising?" 

You and Hinata bow. "Our apologies. If you please, Tsunade-sama," Hinata says, glancing at you. You hold out the scroll and the letter to the Godaime. She unrolls the scroll and raises an eyebrow, looking at your faces. She reads your anxiety and frowns, opening the letter and walking to her desk. You both move to stand in front of the desk, Kiba and Akamaru hanging back a few paces. Shizune walks to her usual place beside the Hokage, but does not look at the letter, keeping her eyes fixed ahead. 

The Hokage reads to herself, making a few exasperated noises as she does. When she gets to the end, she puts her hand to her forehead, pinching the skin above her brow, and says, "Kh! What is he thinking? I'll never understand that man." She rubs her forehead and re-folds the letter. She looks up at you and Hinata. "Hinata, Neji, do you mean to follow through with the plan in this?" she asks, tapping the letter.

"Yes, Godaime-sama."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

She nods at you and pulls out a notepad, on which she scribbles rapidly. "Shizune, bring these people to the office right away. Don't tell them anything except they are urgently needed at the Hokage's office." She tears off the sheet of paper and hands it to her attendant.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama. Ah, this person is not in the village right now -"

"Yes, yes, just whoever is available. Right away, please." Shizune dashes out of the office. The Hokage stands up. "I'm going to get some tea. I'll be right back." She leaves the office while you, Hinata, and Kiba exchange confused glances.

"Who is she sending for?" Kiba wonders out loud.

A moment later, Tsunade returns with a tray of tea and crackers. "I haven't had breakfast yet, and I'm guessing you haven't either." She sets the tray down on the desk. "Come on over, Kiba." You all take cups of tea and sip it gratefully. You munch on crackers quietly for a few moments. Tsunade is gazing out the window at the village below and none of you feel like breaking the silence.

There's a tap at the door. "Enter!" Tsunade says, without turning. 

Aburame Shino walks in. "Shino-kun," Hinata greets her teammate in surprise.

"Hinata, Kiba, Neji," Shino says. "Godaime-sama, I was told that I was needed urgently."

Tsunade looks over her shoulder. "Yes, you are. We are waiting for a few others to arrive. Then I will explain."

This scene repeats itself with slight variations over the next several minutes, until the office is crowded and you and Hinata look at each other in sudden understanding. Tsunade has gathered an impromptu wedding party for you. All of your teammates are there, as well as your jonin-sensei, Gai and Kurenai. Naruto, Sakura, and Ino are present as well. Shizune returns and Tsunade asks, "Is this all of them, Shizune?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama. The others are not in the village at present."

"Thank you very much, Shizune. Please join me." Shizune takes her usual place by the Hokage's desk. Tsunade looks at you two a little slyly and says, "Are you both ready for this?"

You take each other's hands, which sets off an explosion of gasps and suppressed exclamations around the room. Hinata blushes. "Yes, Tsunade-sama."

She winks at you. "Good." In a louder voice, she says, "You all have been gathered here to witness the union of this loving couple in matrimony." The gasps are even louder. Hinata turns beet red. You squeeze her hands, hoping she doesn't faint. She squeezes back, taking a deep breath and looking into your eyes. She smiles and you smile in return.

Tsunade turns to you. "Neji, you marry this woman and become her partner. 

"Will you in peaceful times, during sickness, this person love, this person respect, this person comfort, this person help, until death, do you promise to fulfill?"

You raise Hinata's hands and cross them over your heart. "I will," you say, your eyes fixed on hers. She smiles tremulously at you.

"Hinata, you marry this man and become his partner. 

"Will you in peaceful times, during sickness, this person love, this person respect, this person comfort, this person help, until death, do you promise to fulfill?"

"I will," says Hinata, her smile even broader. Your cheeks ache from your own grin.

"Will you please sign this scroll?" Tsunade turns Hiashi's scroll toward you and you each sign your names below their listing. She turns the scroll back to herself. "As Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure, I certify these two people as married." She makes the hand sign to affix her seal to the scroll. As she seals it, another scroll appears in a puff of smoke. Tsunade starts and Hinata gasps.

You hear whispers around the room. "Eh?" "What happened?"

Tsunade, frowning, picks up the summoned scroll and opens it. Her eyes widen. She looks sharply at you. "Neji, Hinata, I need you to follow me, please." She closes the scroll with a snap and starts toward the door.

"Tsunade-sama?"

"All of you will wait here, please! We will return momentarily."

You and Hinata look at each other, bewildered, and follow the Godaime hand in hand. There is a confused murmur behind you as you step out of the room. Tsunade strides quickly down the hall and opens the door to a smaller office. "Close the door behind you, please." You do so, and she turns toward you, holding the scroll open for your inspection. "Look at this, you two."

You both peer at the scroll and catch your breath. Hinata looks wonderingly at you. "Is this really -?"

"Yes." Your hands tremble as your fingers touch the edge of the scroll. "This is it. Hiashi-sama really did think this through." You look at each other, amazed.

Tsunade smiles her knowing half-smile. "I take it you want to use this now."

"Yes!" you both exclaim. "There's no time to lose," you add. "This is the only way I can keep Hinata safe."

Tsunade's smile broadens. "Spoken like a real man. Very well. I will help you, but, Hinata, you will have to perform the actual jutsu."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," Hinata murmurs, already absorbed in studying the scroll. Together, the two women pour over the script, while you take off your hitae-ite and try to compose your jangling nerves. 

Tsunade walks to the desk and takes out a brush and an inkwell. "Neji, sit in the middle of the room on the floor, please." You do so, and the Hokage begins to draw lines and symbols in a circle around you. Finally, she brushes her hair back and says, "Done! Are you ready, Hinata?"

A faint line is between Hinata's brows as she looks up from the scroll. "Yes, Tsunade-sama." She walks to you, biting her lip and brows furrowed in concentration. Then she looks in your concerned eyes and her expression lightens for a moment. "This will be my first wedding present to you, _anata_." She smiles as you blush. The faint line reappears as her expression becomes serious again. "Please close your eyes." You do, so you don't see what she does, but you feel her activate the Byakugan and her chakra surge upward, and then you feel a warmth on your forehead and an unpleasant sucking sensation, as if your head were expanding outward. The feeling dissipates, and you hear a gasp and a chuckle. 

You open your eyes. "Did it work?"

"It did indeed. Thank your wife, Neji, that was one hell of a wedding present."

You run your hand over your forehead. It's smooth, with no indentations in the shape of the seal. "Hinata!"

Hinata throws her arms around your neck. "Oh, Neji!" You return the embrace dazedly. 

Tsunade eyes the scroll lying on the desk. "Who would have thought that Hiashi had something like this up his sleeve?"

Hinata rises and turns. "Tsunade-sama, will you please keep this scroll safe for us?"

"Are you sure, Hinata? This is your clan secret that we're talking about."

"I'm sure," she says firmly. "It will be safer here than anywhere else." You nod your agreement, also rising, and replace your hitae-ite. 

"Very well, then I will." She locks the scroll within a safe behind the desk. "Now, I think we have a celebration to get back to."

You return to the Hokage's office. As the door opens, there's a hesitant, questioning murmur, which Tsunade dispels easily by announcing ahead of your entrance, "Apologies for the delay, some formalities we had to take care of. Please congratulate the happy couple, Neji and Hinata!"

Applause breaks out around the room. Sakura, Ino, and Tenten squeal out, "Congratulations!" The girls run up to Hinata and squeeze her hands, and she blushes and smiles, hugging them. 

"Neji!" Lee is standing before you. "Congratulations! I had no idea that you intended a marriage with your fair cousin!" It's your turn to redden. 

"Yeah, what about that, anyway?" Tenten asks, punching you in the arm. "Why didn't we know anything about this until this morning?"

"Ah, well, circumstances..." you mutter. 

"Lee-san, Tenten-san, everyone, we're very sorry we couldn't let you know ahead of time," Hinata says, softly but clearly. "We had some family circumstances that made it necessary for us to keep it quiet until now." A look of understanding passes over the group. 

You hear the clink of glassware, and see that Shizune is distributing slender flutes of a bubbly drink to everyone. Kurenai-sensei taps her glass to get everyone’s attention. “A toast! To my beloved student and her new husband - may their lives together be long and happy!”

“Kanpai!” Everyone drinks. You wince at the sweet taste - it’s melon soda. Hinata giggles at your expression.

“I would also like to make a toast!” says Gai-sensei. “To Neji and Hinata - may their love ever bloom with the beauty and strength of youth!” There is a smattering of laughter.

“Kanpai!” everyone shouts. The atmosphere in the impromptu party becomes looser and more jovial. More hugs are exchanged, more congratulations are given, more hands shake yours and clap your shoulder.

A figure in orange and black moves toward you. “Neji, Hinata-chan.”

“Naruto-kun!” You can’t help but watch your new wife’s countenance as she faces her old crush. Her cheeks are already pink from happiness, but you don’t see any signs of faintness, and her smile is free from any self-consciousness. 

Naruto looks bewildered by the events of the day. “So...married, huh?” He rubs the back of his head and looks at you both out the corner of his eye. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you, Naruto-kun.” Hinata smiles, and then loops her arm through yours, looking up at you. You extend a hand to Naruto, which he shakes, grinning in a baffled way.

You hear a rapid tinkling sound, and look across the room, where Tsunade is rapping her glass with a pen. A murmur of laughter and excitement runs through the room and everyone else rings their glasses also. You redden and look down at Hinata, who blushes deeper and smiles shyly at you. You turn to cup her face in your palm, she stretches up on her toes to meet you, you bend your head and kiss her lips gently, lingeringly. After a moment, you break away and smile at each other. Oohs and ahs ripple across the room. Everyone applauds, and Hinata buries her face in your shoulder, embarrassed. You stroke the back of her head, and Sakura and Ino sigh exaggeratedly in unison, “Aw!”

Hinata rubs her face against your tunic and you feel her take a deep breath and let it out. She smiles up at you and then turns to the others. She clears her throat, and you rap your own glass to get everyone’s attention.

“Everyone, we are so happy that you could be here to celebrate with us on this important day,” your wife says in her clear, soft voice. “We are so thankful for your good wishes and friendship - they mean so much to us. And we are especially grateful to Tsunade-sama and Shizune-san for all of their help,” she adds, looking across the room. Tsunade nods to you both. Shizune smiles and bobs a little bow. You both bow deeply at the waist to the assembled crowd. 

There is silence for a moment, then Tsunade says in her brisk voice, “Congratulations, Neji, Hinata! I believe your marriage will be a boon to Konoha for many generations to come.” You straighten and meet her eyes. The familiar half-smile appears on her face. “And while I would love to celebrate all day, I believe many of us have work to get to today. Thank you all for coming on such short notice.” A burr of activity resumes as the assembly prepares to leave.

Kiba stands on a chair to get their attention. “Everyone, Hinata and Neji are staying at my place, so come by around 7 o’clock and we’ll have a real party!” Exclamations of excitement and thanks pass around, while you marvel at the impulsiveness of the announcement.

You receive more pats on the shoulder and handshakes, and Hinata makes her way across the room to bow once more to the Hokage and her assistant, and the two women embrace her fondly. You hear Tsunade say in a low voice, “Let me know if you need anything, OK?” Hinata nods, gratefully. She comes back to your side, and you grasp her hand. You wait as the rest of the assembly leaves, giving their last congratulations. You catch Kiba’s eye, and he nods, moving to the door with Akamaru and holding it open. 

At the door, you pause and turn with your wife, bowing deeply once more. “Godaime-sama!” you say ceremonially. “You have our eternal gratitude, and the eternal gratitude of the Hyuuga clan!”

Tsunade smiles wryly and waves her fingers at you. “Yes, yes. Go on, then.”

You look up and bow sharply once more, passing backwards out the door with Hinata. You straighten once outside the room, and you hear Kiba mutter under his breath, “Damned formal bastard.”


	3. Chapter 3

Back at the Inuzuka compound, you see Shino waiting outside the gate. Hinata runs ahead to hug the hooded figure, while he pats her on the head. You watch in surprise. Kiba grins at you out of the side of his mouth. “He’s a weird guy, isn’t he?” he asks in an undertone. “He would never hug anyone while there was a big crowd around, but he still wants to give his congratulations just like anyone else.” You frown a little. There is something vaguely disquieting about the silent Aburame’s soft spot for your bride, and her implicit understanding of it. 

As you approach, Shino holds out his hand to you. “Congratulations, Neji.” 

You shake the proffered hand, wishing you could see the eyes behind his sunglasses. “Thank you, Shino.”

Kiba rolls his eyes at your stilted exchange. “Come on, guys, let’s go inside.” Hinata takes your arm again and you are touched by the easy intimacy. _She’s my wife now. My wife._

The thought takes your head into the clouds, but you descend once more when Shino asks, “So, what has happened?”

A soft sigh escapes from you. You wonder how many more times you will have to explain the situation, just on this day alone. Hinata squeezes your arm and smiles at you understandingly. She lets out a snuffling sort of giggle. “We’ve run away from home to escape our warring family members.”

Shino raises his eyebrows. “Are you saying that you’re Romeo and Juliet?”

Hinata laughs another short, hectic laugh. You pull her closer, lacing the fingers of your left hand with those of her right, and she hugs your arm tightly. “I certainly hope not,” you say. “I would like to have a happier ending than they did.”

“But there are parallels,” Hinata says softly. There’s a pause, and then she says, more confidently, “We’ll turn out better than they did. We have better friends.”

“Hell, yeah,” says Kiba, vaguely. You snort at his casual profanity. He shoots a glare at you and you smirk back. He grins with half his mouth and looks up at the sky.

Inside Kiba’s house, Tsume-san is working on mission reports at the kitchen table, but she puts these away as you come in. She barely registers surprise at Shino’s appearance. “Well, how did it go?”

Hinata smiles nervously. “We’re married!”

Tsume grins and hugs Hinata, then you. You are rather taken aback, but manage to return the hug. “So!” she says. “Are you hungry?”

“Famished,” her son says. The rest of you nod. 

“Good, sit down,” says Tsume. You take seats at the table as she takes a roasted fish out of the oven and brings over the rice cooker and soup pot. She dishes out the simple meal and you all eat in silence, ravenous from the long morning of activity with almost no food.

“I’ve thought of something,” Tsume says. You look up. “Somewhere you can live. I’ll show you after you finish eating.” You all look at her with mute questioning. “It’s a small house here in Inuzuka. It needs some work, but it should be fine for you after you do a good cleaning and some repair.”

Hinata sets her bowl down. “Tsume-san,” she says slowly, “we can’t thank you enough for everything that you’ve done for us...taking us in with no notice at all. But we really can’t impose on your kindness much longer....”

Tsume shakes her head emphatically. “You don’t have anywhere else to go right now, right? It doesn’t have to be forever. Just until you find a place of your own. And you’ll be doing us a favor, fixing up the place. It’s no great shakes of a house, but it has running water and a roof that doesn’t leak. Anything that you do to make it better will be helping us out.”

“We can pay rent,” you say, suddenly. “I just remembered....” You reach into your hip pouch and pull out the wallet that Hiashi gave you. “I haven’t even looked at this, Hiashi-sama gave it to us.” Hinata's eyes widen, but Tsume’s hand closes over yours firmly.

“You save that,” she says. “You’re going to need it in the future. You’ll be amazed at the expenses that come up, now that you’re married and you’re starting out on your own.” She looks you hard in the eye, and you nod slowly. You realize that you and Hinata have hardly a possession to your names, no home, no housewares or bedding, none of the hundred things that you were used to taking for granted everyday. You each have your mission pay, but you don’t know how long you’ll have to survive outside of the clan - perhaps for the rest of your lives? There is no guarantee that you’ll be accepted back into the clan as Hiashi hopes, and you may have to live your lives and raise children without any clan support.

“Good,” Tsume says again, as you put the wallet away.

Hinata flushes to her eyes, which are tear-filled. “Tsume-san, really, thank you so much,” she whispers.

Tsume laughs loudly. “Don’t thank me yet. You haven’t seen this shack yet.”

It is not exactly a shack. Tsume takes you and Hinata to see it. Shino thanks Tsume for the meal and promises to return in the evening, after he fulfills his duties at home. Tsume sets Kiba at washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen, which he does with only the barest grumble after Tsume’s glare.

It is a very small house, really only one room, with a tiny kitchenette and an attached small, but fully equipped, bathroom. The refrigerator is half-size, the kitchen sink has only one basin, but the house is solid, airy, and bright and the common room is a fairly good size. There’s a bare table in the middle of the room and a tall wardrobe on the end opposite the kitchen. That’s all. This house is even smaller than the one you lived in by yourself on the Branch side of the Hyuuga compound. And it is much dustier and covered in dog hair.

Tsume laughs again as you both look around. “I told you, it needs a lot of work. We used to use this as a place to wash the pups and make their meals, because it’s closer to our training ground than most of the residences. But we built another place actually on the edge of the training ground, so this hasn’t been used for anything in a long time.”

Hinata turns and kisses the fierce woman’s cheek. “Tsume-san, thank you. This looks like a wonderful place to spend our honeymoon.”

Tsume chuckles and pats her on the head. “Well, here you go,” she says, handing you the bucket of cleaning supplies. “There should be a broom and mop in that closet. Let me know if you need anything else.” She waves as you thank her again.

“Well,” you say, looking around ruefully. “Where should we start?”

Hinata scans the room. “Let’s dust everything first. Then we can sweep and mop. And then we’ll probably have to dust again,” she concludes, with half a sigh. You each take a dust rag. You begin in the kitchen and she starts at the other end of the room with the wardrobe. You try to just sweep the dust onto the floor, but it’s so heavy you still have to rinse and wring out your rags over and over. You cough and sneeze and persevere. “You know,” she says, “we’re really so lucky to have such great friends - to know someone like Tsume-san, who would take two people under her clan’s protection who are not related to them at all.”

“I completely agree,” you reply. 

You’re quiet for a while, then you notice something odd about Hinata’s breathing. “Hinata? Are you OK?”

You look over at her. Her head is lowered and her shoulders are hunched over and trembling. “Stupid!” she whispers fiercely.

“Hinata?” You turn to her, alarmed.

She tips her head back, so the hair falls away from her face and you can see her stormy, tear-filled eyes and enraged expression. “Stupid, stupid father! Never telling me anything! Never sharing any of his mind with me! Even keeping Hanabi from me! And then wanting me to _fix_ everything!” 

Her hands are balled in fists and her shoulders and arms are trembling with fury. You’ve never seen her in a rage like this. 

She throws the rag at the wall and points at you fiercely. “Never telling _you_ anything! Letting you hate me! Then wanting you to marry me! Oh, and will you have a baby, please? And will you raise it to age 3 on your own, please? And in the meantime, will you dodge the people who want to kidnap you and mark you and all of your children with a horrible curse, please? And then will you come back and miraculously save our clan from its self-inflicted destruction? I believe in you, even though I told you that you were useless to me and neglected you all of your life!” She finishes in a hoarse scream of astonishing venom and sarcasm.

You put the rag down, wash your hands and dry them, walk deliberately to her, and pull her heaving shoulders to you. You rub her shoulders and stroke her hair, and very slowly, the shaking subsides, the tension eases, her arms relax, and she sobs into your chest, hands clinging to your back. You continue to rub her neck and shoulders soothingly, and she calms. She sniffs and looks up at you. You wipe the streaming tears from her face again and again as they pour from her eyes. You look down into her eyes and she looks up at you and you discourse with each other without saying a word.

Finally, you speak. “You will, though, won’t you?”

A grim, determined smile appears. You are very familiar with that smile - you remember it from a time when she stared you down with blood trickling from her mouth. 

“Yes, I will.”


	4. Chapter 4

You manage to get the little house clean enough to spend the night in. Kiba comes with a plate of onigiri in the early afternoon, which you all eat companionably on the bench outside the front door. Then he takes over the mopping while you scrub the small bathroom and Hinata finishes the front room and kitchen. Rid of the dust and dog hair, the wooden floor scrubbed clean and smelling like orange oil, it does, in fact, seem like a very nice place for you and your new bride to spend your honeymoon. You transfer your packs and bedrolls here, and Tsume-san loans you an extra futon. 

Hinata, with fluttering anxiety, asks to help with preparations for the evening’s gathering, but Tsume and Hana turn her away with a laugh. “This party is for you, Hinata-chan,” Hana says indulgently. “Just relax and pretty yourself up for your guests.” 

Your wife blushes and turns to you for support, but Tsume shoots a hard look at you over her head, so you gently lead her away, saying, “Thank you very much, Hana-san, Tsume-san.”

In your new abode, Hinata sighs, pulling things out of her pack. “I hadn’t thought about looking nice,” she says, ruefully unfurling a rolled-up kimono. It’s a pink one with white trim and there are heavy creases along the center and sleeves from being crushed in the pack.

“You always look nice,” you say sincerely. Your bride pinkens and looks up through her lashes at you a little challengingly. You smile. “Go on and take your shower. I’ll go after you.” Hinata sighs again, grabs a few more things out of the pack, and carries them along with the kimono into the small bath. You lay back on the floor with your head on the futon and close your eyes. It’s been a very tiring day.

You doze off. A warm scent of steam and soap rouses you, and you turn to see Hinata emerge with her hair in a high ponytail and the kimono wrapped loosely about her. The steam from the shower has loosened most of the creases from packing. “Will you help me with my sash before you take your shower?”

You stand up. “Sure.” She pulls a dark purple obi from a pocket in her bag and hands it to you. She pulls the kimono into taut, crisp lines and fastens it with the undersash. She takes the purple obi back from you, wraps it around her waist, and then holds the ends to the back for you to take. You’re bewildered by the length and width, and when you try to tie the knot you are familiar with, you don’t know what to do with the extra material at the ends. “You know, I’m not sure what I’m doing here. You should probably ask Hana-san to help you.”

She smiles calmly at you. “Right, I thought I would have to do that.”

You frown perplexedly at her. “Then why did you ask me to help you?”

Her smile broadens mischievously. “I just wanted to hear you admit there was something that you don’t know how to do.”

She looks like the cat who ate the canary and you snort with laughter despite yourself. You take her chin between your thumb and forefinger and tip her head up to yours. “Is this how it starts, then?”

Her eyes sparkle at you beneath lowered lids. “This is only the beginning,” she agrees. You laugh and kiss her lingeringly. Finally, she taps you on the chest. “You should take your shower.”

“Yes, wifey.” She has to suppress a snort of her own, and you smirk as you gather your things for the bath. 

She turns to look at herself at the mirror inside the door of the wardrobe. “I wonder how I should do my hair,” she muses aloud.

“Why not leave it like that?”

“I can’t do that,” she protests.

“Why not?” you reply. “It’s cute.”

Her eyes widen and a real blush, not her habitual pink ones, but an honest, deep-red one travels up her neck to her forehead, and you want to pull her to you and press kisses to her skin until she’s just as red everywhere, party be damned. She understands your look and simply stands, holding your eyes with her own, breathing a few slow, deep breaths, until she smiles just a bit. You unfreeze and press your lips to her cheek just in front of her ear, murmuring, “Later.”

She shivers and lets out a nervous giggle. Patting your shoulder, she says, “I’m going to the other house to finish getting ready.”

“I’ll meet you down there.”

…

It’s doesn’t take you long to get ready. All you have to do is shower and change into a fresh set of clothes. You didn’t think to pack a kimono, and you would feel silly wearing one at an informal gathering with your friends, anyway. It doesn’t really matter what you look like. Hinata will shine enough for the both of you.

In Tsume-san's house, there is a wonderful scent of food and the sound of warm laughter. Dishes are set out on the kitchen table and the long, low one in the adjoining living area. Your stomach growls in anticipation and Kiba, standing near the living room table, grins wolfishly at you. "I totally want to dig in right now, but my mom would kill me. It's almost 7, though. People should be here any minute. I'm going down to the entrance gate now to let them in."

"I'll go with you," you offer.

But Kiba shakes his head. "Nah, stay here and wait with Hinata. It'll be more, whatsit - picturesque - that way." He grins again and pats your shoulder as he passes by you on the way out. You are surprised by his good humor and apparent friendliness. He has adjusted remarkably since the previous night when he was outraged by the very idea of your marriage with Hinata, and you admire his flexibility and ability to accept. You know you are somewhat lacking in those qualities. This residence among the Inuzuka may have more than one benefit.

Another peal of girlish laughter reaches your ears, and the next moment, Hana-san's bedroom door opens and your wife walks out with the two Inuzuka women behind. You get the sense that part of the laughter was at your expense, because Hinata turns pink when she sees you, and Hana and Tsume exchange sly looks. You don't mind in the slightest, though. Your bride looks like an adorable doll, a picture of classic beauty. Her hair is done in some kind of updo with the ends sticking up in a kind of short, thick ponytail. A touch of color has been added to her eyelids and lips, just enough to enhance the porcelain quality of her skin. You cross the room in two long strides and take her in your arms.

"See, we told you he wouldn't be able to keep his hands off you," Hana laughs, and Hinata turns a trifle pinker. "Look but don't touch, Neji-kun," she says to you, "you'll smudge her makeup." She thumps your shoulder with her fist. Hinata looks so tempting that you're having a hard time following the directive.

"Just one kiss?" you murmur to your wife.

Hinata looks shyly up through her lashes. She brings her hands up to your face and says, "Just one." Gently, you touch your lips to hers. The gloss on her lips is slick and has some kind of floral flavor. It's very difficult for you to keep from pressing the kiss deeper and extremely difficult to break away. When you do, Hinata giggles and pulls a handkerchief out of her sleeve to wipe your mouth, and you hear Tsume-san and Hana-san sigh in mock exasperation.

In the next moment, you hear voices approaching, take the handkerchief, and put it in your pocket. Hinata asks, Is her lipstick smudged, and you say, No, she looks beautiful. Then the room is full of people. They must have all gathered elsewhere and come together. All of the wedding guests of the morning have come, and in addition, Choji and Shikamaru have returned from their mission and been brought along by Ino. The laughing, chattering bunch exclaim with delight when they see Hinata and she is kissed and hugged while you keep an arm around her waist. Again, your hand is clasped and your shoulder thumped. Naruto exclaims, "You look really pretty, Hinata-chan!" to her confusion and embarrassment, and then elbows you in the ribs, saying, "How did you get so lucky, Neji?" Hinata bursts into laughter at your expression, and the other girls gaze at her in surprise - have they ever seen Hinata laugh outright like this?

Tsume-san is corralling the guests, trying to get them to sit down at the table instead of blocking the door. She directs you and Hinata to sit at the far end of the long table, facing the kitchen, which you do in a daze. Once you do, getting the guests to sit down becomes rather easier, and soon your teammates and the Rookie Nine are all sitting around the long table with you, while Gai, Kurenai, and Hana sit together at the kitchen table. Tsume tells everyone to pour themselves tea, and holds up her own tea cup, standing between the two tables.

"A benediction for Hinata and Neji. May their days together be many, and blessed with health and happiness." Tsume-san lifts her cup to you with a serious smile, and drinks. The others murmur with cups upraised and drink; you as well. "Now, everyone, please eat!" Tsume says in a merrier tone.

You and Hinata help each other to sashimi and nigiri; Ino coos around Shikamaru's shoulder about how cute you two are, to Hinata's blush of pleasure. Bowls of miso shiru are passed up from the other end of the table. Conversations are light and general as everyone enjoys the meal. Praises for the food travel from the long table to Tsume and Hana at the other table, and the Inuzuka women acknowledge the compliments with smiles and nods.

When everyone gets past their initial hunger, an undertone of tension emerges around the table. Glances are directed at you and your bride, and conversation dies down. As this happens, Shikamaru, sitting to your right, says with a half-sigh, "Neji, why don't you tell us about it."

At his words, all other remarks cease; all heads, including those at the other table, turn to you. You look at Hinata. Her cheeks have paled, but she is otherwise composed. She threads her arm through yours; you press her hand with yours. You glance around at your friends' concerned, expectant faces and then look down, frowning with thought. You look up again. 

"We've left the Hyuuga. Although our marriage was approved by the head of the clan, it was not sanctioned by the clan council. We cannot return to the clan, because steps would be taken to separate us." There are hisses and gasps around the table. You look across to the other table. Gai-sensei looks serious; Kurenai, tense. You turn again to your bride. "We have reason to believe," you say, still watching her face, "that they may try to kidnap Hinata in order to decide her fate to their liking. This I will not permit." You turn back to your friends. "I would like to ask for aid from all of you to keep my wife safe."

This is received by a murmur of assent and indignation. "You bet we will!" Naruto says loudly. "What the hell is wrong with those Hyuu-" Sakura strikes him hard on the head. 

She leans forward and says earnestly, "Of course, Neji-san, Hinata-chan, you can count on us to look out for you." The others at the table nod.

Hinata's eyes fill with tears. "Thank you so much, everyone."

"Thanks to Tsume-san's great kindness, Hinata and I will be living in a residence here in Inuzuka for the time being. We intend to move to an independent residence shortly." You frown and think about what else you need your friends to know.

Hinata squeezes your arm. You turn and watch her eyes travel up to your forehead. She raises an eyebrow and looks at you questioningly. You frown thoughtfully. then nod. She turns to the others.

"One thing more," she says softly. "This is a very great secret, a very important one. Please do not discuss it even among yourselves unless you are very sure of not being overheard." The tone of her voice is compelling. Earnest nods pass around the table and everyone tenses. You reach up to untie your hitae-ite and let it fall away to reveal your smooth, unmarked forehead. Shocked exclamations start and are muffled. You look around at everyone to make sure they understand, then replace the hitae-ite.

"There is a way to remove it, and we know it," Hinata says to the still room. "One day, we will return to the Hyuuga, and it will be a clan remade." You watch the firm set of her mouth and her calm eyes with pride. "Until then, we ask for your help in preserving this secret for the better future of the Hyuuga and of Konoha, as well." She pushes back from the table and places her hands before her ceremonially and you do the same. Together, you bow, touching your foreheads to your hands.

"Oi, oi, there's no need for that," Kiba protests.

"That's right," Tenten chimes in. "You know that you can count on us for anything, we're your friends!"

You feel a hand on your shoulder and at the same time you hear Kurenai-sensei's voice. "It's right for them to show us their determination, though." You straighten and see Gai-sensei standing over you holding your shoulder, Kurenai standing by Hinata's side. She continues, looking over those seated at the table. "This is no light thing that they are asking from us. It's an important secret, and it's an important duty to protect it and to protect the people that hold it. You should carefully consider how far you are willing to go to protect lives that are not your own and the future of a family that is not your own." She smiles down at Hinata, whose shoulder she is still holding, and says in an undertone, "For myself, I will stand by you as I know you will for me and Kaoru-chan." Hinata seizes her sensei's hand and presses it with gratitude, nodding.

Shikamaru's voice sounds slightly annoyed, as usual. "There's no real need to consider, is there? This Hyuuga business is a huge pain, but Neji and Hinata are our comrades of Konoha, and have been our friends for years besides. We've laid down our lives for each other in the past, and we'll do it in the future, even against other Konoha shinobi if we have to - because the real future of the Hyuuga in Konoha is right here in this room." He glances up at Kurenai from below lazy-lidded eyes, and her lips quirk.

Lee stands, and gives you his "nice guy" pose. "Neji! We are with you, and will aid you in protecting your precious bride as well!"

"Nice one, Lee!" Gai-sensei says heartily. "Neji!" he says to you, thumping your shoulder heavily, "You can, of course, count on my aid and support. Hinata-chan, you as well!" Hinata smiles and bows her thanks at your sensei, and you smile also, despite yourself. Lee and Gai have between them dispelled all the gravity from the situation.

"I don't think I need to say this, but you can stay with the Inuzuka as long as you like," Kiba says.  "Right, Mom?"

"That's right," Tsume says. "The Hyuuga can protest all they like. What goes on inside our walls is our own business. Now, I think that's enough of this serious talk. This is a wedding reception! Eat up! Then we can get to the presents!"

You blink, and feel the beginning stirrings of guilt. You turn to Hinata and see that she is stricken as well. You are sitting under the roof of a home that is not your own, partaking in a celebration that is a generous gift in itself, given to you by friends who are also letting you borrow a home under their protection, and now they want to give you wedding presents? You swallow hard. Hinata looks pained. She glances back over the table. Everyone has resumed their seats and is eating and chatting. They give you understanding smiles. The discussion has cleared away the underlying tension. These are shinobi; they are accustomed to dealing with threats of various kinds in their daily lives. An unknown situation causes anxiety. A known one merely calls for a plan of attack. Hinata turns back to you. The guilt is still in her eyes, but she smiles in a pained way, pressing her chin against your shoulder and looking in your eyes. You understand and press your forehead to hers, whispering, "We'll make it up to them."

"Yes," she whispers back. "We'll be sure to repay them in any way that we can." The words seem hollow to both of you, with no guarantee that you'll ever be able to repay the kindnesses shown to you, but the promise is all you have right now. You kiss Hinata's forehead and she squeezes your arm. Then you both finish your meal.

The wedding presents are very nice. All of them are useful. Some of them are surprisingly touching. Lee and Tenten give you a set of dishes. From Gai-sensei, you receive a teapot and a pair of matching tea cups. Sakura gives you a pair of pillows and pillow slips. Ino's gift is a bolt of linen fabric - "So you can make curtains and napkins and things, Hinata," Ino says. Hinata nods gratefully, and you're grateful as well - the windows of the little Inuzuka house are bare, as they had no care about privacy for the cottage previously. 

Naruto gives you a set of towels. They are blue with orange and white goldfish on the trim. Sakura groans. "You got those? I told you to get the gray-and-white striped ones!"

"But Sakura-chan, those were boring! These are a lot more cheerful, aren't they?"

"These are very nice, thank you, Naruto-kun," Hinata says, a hint of laughter in her voice. "Aren't they, Neji?"

"They are very cheerful," you agree.

"There, see?"

Sakura rolls her eyes. 

From Shino you receive a polished wooden box filled with chopsticks. "So that you can have company," he says, and Hinata smiles. 

Kurenai-sensei gives you a set of nesting bamboo baskets, woven into a sun shape, a pun on your family name. Shikamaru's gift is a kitchen knife and cutting board. You both marvel at the craftsmanship of the knife - the handle is made from deer antler. Choji gives you a wok and a curved wooden spatula. Both are obviously used, but so lovingly cared for that the patina of age makes them rather more beautiful than new articles would be. It's clear that these are prized pieces, used with love for many years. Hinata's eyes fill with tears as she looks at them, and she gets up from the table to give Choji a special hug. You hear her whisper, "It's too much," and he says, patting her on the back, "No, no, you use them, Hinata, I'm happy for you to have them." She sniffs and kisses him on the cheek.

Lastly, the Inuzuka family presents you with a heavy duvet and cover, as well as a matching pair of rugs - "One for the bathroom and one for the kitchen," Tsume-san says. Hinata's eyes brim over. 

"You shouldn't have, Tsume-san, Hana-san, Kiba-kun," she whispers. "It's already too much...." You are similarly affected. 

You take Hinata's hand and you both stand and bow. "Thank you all. There are no words to describe the kindness you have shown us, or the gratitude we feel," you say, your voice shaking despite your best efforts. You straighten to see the sympathetic and pleased expressions of your friends. 

"Hinata-chan, Neji-kun, congratulations and best wishes!" Hana says. 

"Best wishes!" 

"Congratulations!" 

The shouts fill the room.

* * *

In the next week, your life falls into an enjoyable domesticity. Out of consideration for your new life and circumstances, the Hokage relieves you both of your regular duties for the week. You spend pleasantly lazy mornings with your bride, holding her in your arms and pretending to still be asleep so that you can marvel at the simple fact of her in your bed every morning. Then you rise slowly and dawdle over tea and biscuits. 

You go to the village market everyday to shop for groceries together, and you pick up a few additional things to round out your home - a shower curtain to replace the torn one in the Inuzuka home, a set of dishcloths and kitchen towels, two pairs of slippers for you to wear inside the house, an iron, a rice cooker, a soup pot, a baking pan. You are very sparing with the money in Hiashi-sama's wallet, paying for most things from your individual savings from your missions. But you do go to a small jewelry store together and pick out simple wedding rings for each other. The smile Hinata gives you as you put the ring on her finger makes you feel as though you are four years old again, gazing besottedly at her angelic face for the first time. 

The Inuzuka leave you to yourselves for the most part, so you can enjoy your "honeymoon" privately, but you do go out to the training ground to help them with their training on one afternoon when Sakura and Ino drop by, bearing yokan, for a girlish chat with Hinata.

You patch cracks around the windows of the little house, and Hinata sews curtains and embroiders them with leaves. You go out to the hardware store for paint and surprise her by bringing home an embellishment kit that you happened to see there, a rainbow of embroidery threads and tiny beads that she sews into festoons onto your duvet cover and napkins. She makes new furoshiki for your bento boxes from Ino's fabric and decorates yours with cranes in dark blue thread, hers with a field of sunflowers. 

You make planter boxes to put on the window sills of the little house and Hinata plants the herb and flower seeds that she saved from her garden at home. When the seedlings are big enough, she says, she'll share them with Tsume-san and Hana-san. 

After just a few days of this life, you can tell that you're going to have a hard time leaving this house when the time comes. It's not merely the small material comforts, most of which you can take with you. It's not just the security of being inside the walls of the Inuzuka compound, which allows you to leave Hinata alone in the house for short periods without fear for her safety. Besides these factors is one that you would not have guessed would affect you so profoundly. The Inuzuka, though rough, are warm and loyal. The informality of their manners comes from an egalitarian sense of relationships. Beyond a sense of respect for the elders, you detect little evidence of a hierarchy. Instead, you find good fellowship: a feeling of being comrades, in the best sense of the word. Living inside their walls is like a breath of fresh air after the stultifying atmosphere of the Hyuuga compound. You begin to understand Kiba's disdain for formality as you feel this difference. 

Among the Hyuuga, formality keeps apart even those who should be closest. The Hyuuga are always concerned with their place: one person's place in relation to another, to the clan as a whole, and the clan's place, so they believe, above all others in Konoha. This way of thinking has always created distance between you and those around you, but you are beginning to rethink that as well. What, really, have the Hyuuga to be so proud of? What is superiority, really?

Only two incidents interrupt your brief foray into domestic bliss. 

* * *

You make a quick visit to the Hokage's office to make sure that she will not send Hinata on any more missions without you also being one of the team. She agrees that it is a prudent measure; you regard it as essential. Tsunade's hackles are raised by the entire business. As you leave her office, she grumbles under her breath about clan nonsense interfering with the operations of the village. 

You are accosted on a empty side street on your way back to the Inuzuka compound. 

“Hyuuga Neji!”

You pause and look at the man sneering at you. Not old, not young. Perhaps forty years of age. Hyuuga Kazuki. A great-grandfather on his mother’s side was a head of the Hyuuga clan. Only the accidents of birth order and gender assignment make this man a member of the Main family line rather than of a Branch family. You feel nothing but disdain for this man that does not understand the incidental nature of the difference between you and he.

He advances on you malignantly. “Or should I call you Inuzuka Neji?” he hisses. “Are you not ashamed to be sheltering with a clan that has always been so far beneath the Hyuuga? Accepting their charity, and hiding among them with your stolen bride?”

Your blood boils. It is difficult to master yourself enough to reply with composure. “Are you not ashamed that the Hyuuga cannot be trusted to shelter two of their own, a husband and a bride willingly bestowed by her own consent and that of her father?”

“Your marriage was not approved by the clan council. It was not performed by a priest approved by the clan. It has not been added to the family register. You will never be recognized, even among the Branch families.”

You are startled by the extent of his denial. “What is your object in all of this? What can you gain by denying the fact of our marriage?”

Kazuki draws back, eyes narrowed. “I simply remind you that certain things are the Hyuuga’s to bestow, not yours to seize. And we can take other things from you as well. Consider well. Do you intend to live all your days among the mutts on the hill? Will you raise your own mutts there with a marked bitch as their mother?”

“How - _dare_ \- you!” Furious, you take a step forward. You see him tense his arm, and you barely restrain yourself. You do not want him to try activating your seal and find out that it does not exist. Better to keep that secret as long as possible. He smirks as you freeze.

“We will mark the useless girl and any of your future brood should the opportunity arise. Would it not be better to return and submit to the council’s will? We have gifts to bestow as well as punishments to dole. Perhaps even a gift that would change your entire fate,” he concludes with a sly grimness.

You have a sudden suspicion. “What are you talking about?” you ask slowly.

He raises his eyebrows, looking down his nose at you. “Perhaps you do not have to be a caged bird forever. Perhaps...” Here he pauses, as if deliberating how to form his craft. “Perhaps you might even have a bride more worthy of your blood. Would it not be better to stand at the head of the Hyuuga rather than be a servant for the Inuzuka?”

You laugh incredulously at the naked unsubtlety of the man. If this fool is representative of the council faction against Hinata and Hiashi-sama, you will be much less worried about the threat that they pose.

Kazuki reddens at your laughter. “I speak only of possibilities. It is also possible that we will strike you from clan records entirely and leave you bereft. Are you prepared to live your life as ronin?”

It is clear that this man has badly misread you and the things that you judge important. You want to waste no further time on him. “If it be so, it will be the Hyuuga’s loss, not ours.” You leave him behind you in a puff of smoke.

At home, you relay the main content of this conversation to Hinata. She is disturbed but not surprised. She concentrates on one point. "He said that you may not have to be a caged bird forever? Do you think he knows there is a way to remove the seal?"

"I couldn't tell. I did think he might be referring to that, but he may merely have meant that a position as consort would make me relatively free."

"Hm."

* * *

The second incident occurs just a day later. 

You are both outside working on the planter boxes when Hinata’s eyes widen suddenly, and wordlessly she dashes to the entrance gate. You follow.

As you approach the gate, you both sense and see what Hinata picked up more quickly: a familiar chakra signature, a familiar form. A thin girl with white eyes is standing outside the door that Inuzuka Hiza is guarding.

“What brings you here, Hyuuga-san?” Hiza’s voice is cold without being overtly hostile.

Hanabi faces Hiza with an odd mixture of unease and bravado. “I want to see my sister.”

“Hanabi-chan.”

“Onee-chan!” Hanabi tries to go around Hiza to her sister, but Hiza’s thick arm blocks her way. He turns and exchanges a look with your wife. She reaches for your hand, walking to the gate.

“Hanabi-chan, let’s go have some tea,” she says to the girl outside. She puts a gentle hand on Hiza’s arm. “Excuse us, and thank you, Hiza-san.” He nods gravely at both of you and shuts the gate behind you.

Hanabi looks back at the sound of the gate, then up at the two of you. The girl is in the middle of a growth spurt; she still lacks Hinata’s height by two inches, but it’s apparent it will not be so for long. She seems nervous, which is not an emotion you are accustomed to seeing from her. But Hanabi has never commanded much of your attention, and you are not sure if this is truly unusual for her.

You walk to the dango shop in silence. Hanabi still eyes her older sister anxiously, and Hinata merely returns the look. A faint line between her brows shows concern, but she seems otherwise composed. She puts a hand on Hanabi’s shoulder, and the younger girl’s shoulders lower slightly. Thereafter, she walks with her eyes ahead, but you do see her dart a quick sideways glance at you and then look away.

In the shop, after you sit and order tea and dumplings, Hanabi sitting across from you and Hinata, her unease expresses itself in restless shifting in her seat and sideways shifting of her eyes. Her eyes on the menu on the wall, she says in a falsely light voice, “I didn’t realize that the Inuzuka guarded their gate so zealously.”

“They don’t, ordinarily,” Hinata replies in her usual quiet voice. Hanabi’s eyes dart back to her sister’s face and then down at the table. Hinata regards Hanabi somberly. Your tea and sweets arrive. You and your wife pick up your tea cups and sip. The silence stretches on. You glance at your wife. Hanabi is in obvious discomfort, and Hinata would usually do her best to relieve anyone who was this uneasy. But, in this case, without any feeling of ill-will, Hinata does not intend to make this easier for her sister. It’s clear that she’s waiting for something from the younger girl.

Hanabi’s hands fidget with her cup, but she does not drink. Still not looking at either of you, she says, “So...Father says...he says you got married.”

“Yes,” Hinata answers.

Hanabi finally meets her sister’s eyes. She looks from her to you and back again. The beginning of a tentative, anxious smile appears. “Are - are you happy?”

Hinata smiles. “Yes.”

The rest of Hanabi’s smile emerges. “Good. That’s good. Congratulations. Ah - to both of you,” she adds, looking at you again. You nod and give her a small smile. Hanabi seems relieved. Her shoulders relax a bit and she takes a sip from her cup.

“Thank you for your congratulations, Hanabi-chan.” Hinata’s eyes and smile have their usual gentility. 

Hanabi receives the smile with eager hopefulness in her face, but anxiety creeps back in a moment later. Her thumbs fumble with the edge of the tea cup again. “I - I don’t understand,” she says. “I don’t understand why you’re not living at home anymore. Why you’re living with the Inuzuka instead.” Her eyes meet her sister's searchingly.

Hinata frowns. “Father didn’t tell you?”

“No. He told me you were living outside, but not where. I had to ask my teammates if they knew, and they asked around and told me. Father said - he said, you and Neji are the future of the Hyuuga. He said you’re going to forge a new path for us to follow. He said you have to live outside for a while and it’s important. But - but none of it makes sense. Why didn’t you get married at home? If you’re going to be our leaders, why do you have to live outside?”

You sigh heavily. Hanabi’s eyes flicker to you and back to her sister’s deepening frown. Hinata looks at her sister’s confused face and then over her head at the ceiling. She lets out a long, slow breath. You put a hand on the small of her back and she turns to you. You have a silent conversation with your eyes while Hanabi watches your faces anxiously.

You run a hand down your wife’s hair and turn to Hanabi. “Hanabi-sama, I have a question, if I may.”

She nods.

“I think you have been brought up to be the heir - the next clan head. What do you think about Hinata-sama being the next head instead?”

Hanabi frowns. She appears conflicted. “I _did_ think that I would be... - For a long time, you know, I thought I was going to be. But after I became a genin, two years ago, Father started asking me these questions, kind of like a test. Not just questions about jutsu or mission strategies, but these open-ended “What would you do” questions. And after I answered them, he would say, ‘Hm.’ Just that. And I started to feel like I wasn’t answering them the way he wanted me to, so I asked him, ‘What would you do, Father?’ And he would look at me and shake his head, or he would say, ‘I would do that, too,’ and frown. So I got the sense that he wanted an answer that neither of us could provide.”

Hinata looks at her sister in surprise. Hanabi continues. “I think Father was bringing me up to be the head of Hyuuga the same way he was brought up. And I don’t think he’s happy with the kind of head that he is.” She finishes the last sentence in a depressed whisper. Hinata stretches out a hand and her sister grabs it tightly. 

“Please come home, Onee-chan,” she whispers. “It’s so sad at home now. I know we never spent much time together, but...it’s so much lonelier now. Father seems to want to stay away from everyone except me, and he’s so sad - and angry, too. I’ve heard him shouting as he comes out of council and then he’ll sit with me the entire evening and not say a word. He won’t let me leave, either. I have to stay with him until he walks me to my room to go to bed. He’s so overprotective that they should invent a new word for it.” Hanabi concludes with a soft, scraping laugh.

Hinata’s distress is palpable as she leans forward to stroke her sister’s cheek. Hanabi accepts the caress willingly and clings to her sister’s arm with both hands. “Neji,” your wife says, softly. “What can we -?”

You sigh again, and think hard. “We could tell you some things, Hanabi-sama,” you say, slowly. “But I don’t think this is the place to do that.”

Hanabi looks at you questioningly. Hinata squeezes her sister’s hand and stands up, moving to the shop counter. She comes back with a box for the uneaten dango, and you pay the bill.

You all begin the walk back to the Inuzuka. Some fifty yards before the gate, you stop and say, “I’m sorry, Hanabi-sama, but since you were at the Hyuuga compound, we have to....” You nod at your wife.

She murmurs, “I’m sorry, Hanabi-chan,” and activates her Byakugan, checking Hanabi’s clothes and body for hidden jutsu. Hanabi looks bewildered, but submits to the examination without protest. “All clear,” Hinata says softly a moment later.

"Clear from what?" Hanabi demands. 

"Softly," Hinata says. "Let's go in first." She puts an arm around her sister. 

Inside the quarters of your borrowed house, Hinata sits at the table with her sister while you make more tea. Hinata still has her arm around the younger girl, who is confused and agitated. "Onee-chan, what were you checking for?" 

Hinata pats her back. "We'll explain that in a minute, but there are other things you need to know first." She pauses and sighs. "Where can we start...?"

You bring the teapot and cups to the table. "Hanabi-sama, you say that you think that Hiashi-sama wants a different kind of leader than he is?"

Hanabi's brow is still creased with perplexity. "Yes, I think so. He seems really unhappy with how things are in the clan, and frustrated. He says - he says you and Onee-chan will be different, that you can bring the Main and the Branches together."

"What do you think about that, Hanabi-chan?" Hinata asks softly.

"I think - if you can do it, I wish you would come back and do it soon," Hanabi says brokenly. 

You and Hinata exchange looks. "Hanabi-chan, that may be Father's plan for the future of Hyuuga. But the council does not entirely share that plan."

"Not entirely?" 

"That is to say," you put in, "the majority of the council do not agree with Hiashi-sama's plan at all. They do not want Hinata to succeed to the head of the clan. Among them are those who, if they had the opportunity, would mark her with the seal to ensure that she never could be the head."

"What?" Hanabi looks shocked. "That's - that's totally crazy. That's not the way the seal is meant to be used. And Onee-chan is the born heir - she should never be marked."

"She married me," you point out quietly. 

Hanabi flushes. "Father accepted you into our family. That means you're the consort - not that Onee-chan's being sent into a Branch family."

You and Hinata exchange another significant look. Hanabi misinterprets the look and says, "Besides, even if I were the heir, and Onee-chan were dismissed from the Main, she still wouldn't be sealed until I had my first child and it reached the age of 3. Sealing either of us before the next generation is born - that's just reckless."

This time the look you exchange with your wife is surprise. Hinata smiles a little and pats her sister's arm. "You've really been thinking about these things."

Hanabi is both self-conscious and pleased at the same time. "I have been paying attention, a little bit."

"Well, you're right. But that's not exactly what we were thinking of. The thing is, the council did not approve our marriage, although Father did. So it hasn't been added to the family registry. We were told that the council does not intend to recognize our marriage as valid."

Hanabi's face twists in perplexity. "Father said your marriage was performed by the Hokage herself. Isn't that right?"

"Yes." Of course, Hiashi would know that when the summoned scroll had vanished.

"And so it's been entered in the village records with Godaime-sama's own seal. There's no way it's not valid."

"Village records and clan records are two different things," Hinata says quietly.

Hanabi shakes her head in confusion. "What's the point of not recognizing your marriage? If they wanted to argue that Onee-chan should be Branch, wouldn't recognizing the marriage make that argument stronger?"

"Yes, but Neji is not just Branch," your wife says, looking at you sideways. "He's Neji, the most talented Juuken user of our generation." Hanabi still looks confused. You fold your arms and look to the side. "The same councillors that want to prevent me from being heir still want Neji to be the consort. Just not mine."

Hanabi's mouth is a perfect round O of horror. When she recovers her breath, she says, emphatically, "That - is - messed - UP."

Hinata lips twist with amusement despite herself, glancing at you, while you can feel yourself turning a dull red.

"I mean, nothing against you, Neji-nii-san, but I'm not stealing my sister's husband. Who do they think I am? What the hel - heck?" she corrects herself, catching Hinata's eye.

"Apparently," you rumble, "they think that all three of us are mere pawns to be manipulated in their schemes."

"Well, I'm not playing along. What is it they want, anyway? Why are they so against Onee-chan being the next head?"

"What they want is a strong clan head, in the mold of Hiashi-sama, or rather, in the mold of his father, Himoto-sama. They want a clan head that protects the supremacy of the Hyuuga among all the clans in Konoha. They want a head that keeps the Branch families in their place." 

Hanabi's lips twist. "And they think I'll do that, do they?"

"At least," Hinata says, "they are sure that I won't. They believe that I am too weak to protect what they perceive as our clan's superiority, and that I am too soft-hearted to continue using our brethren in Branch families as servants for the Main family's protection and convenience."

Hanabi looks uncomfortable. "Father has always said that the Hyuuga are the strongest in Konoha, and what keeps us strong is that the Branches protect and serve the root - that protection preserves the secrets of the clan from outsiders."

"At what cost is that strength protected? Is that even strength?" Hinata asks quietly. "I would rather stand back-to-back with my beloved, each of us protecting each other, than let him lay down his life for me, not intervening on his behalf for fear that my eyes be lost to an enemy. What are my eyes compared to my beloved's life? What are clan secrets compared to the lives of my family members? And if the secrets are so important to be protected, why do we not all wear the seal? Would that not be better protection? I feel sure the use of the seal has been perverted from its original intention. I do not think it is right to use it to divide and control our family members."

You gaze at your wife with pride and exultation. You are sure you have placed your faith in the right place, and you silently reaffirm your pledge to protect her life and her path to the headship of the clan. Hanabi's expression is close to awe. "You really are going to make a revolution, aren't you, Onee-chan?"

Hinata colors. "If I do, I'll need lots of help. Yours. Neji's. Father's, too."

You clear your throat. "Which explains some of the council's actions. They have tried to divide me from Hinata by threatening punishment and by tempting me with power. They seem to think that I would be content to exchange my place of servitude with a place of command, as if I have no greater concerns than my own personal position."

"It also explains why Father has been so protective of you," Hinata adds. "He doesn't want the councillors concerned to try to use you for their aims."

"Why didn't he explain any of this to me?"

"I suppose he wants to keep you out of it. It's already quite a burden to have one daughter fighting for her survival,” Hinata says with a sigh. “And you're still very young. The more involved you are, the more you're at risk."

"And the people involved seem fairly desperate and not very shrewd," you add. "If they get the idea that you can't be used for their purposes, they may even try to put you out of the way, too, so they can install someone else of the Main line as heir."

"But I'm _not_ going to be used. And I'm not going to pretend otherwise," Hanabi says firmly.

Again, you and Hinata exchange looks. "It's quite a complicated problem. I'm not sure how we're going to find our way out of it."

"So that's why you checked me before we came in? To make sure none of these crazy old people hid a sneaky jutsu on me?"

Hinata's lips quirk. "That's right."

“It’s possible for them to hide a mark - on your clothes, for example - that would allow someone with mastery of space-time jutsu to teleport to your location. They could even make the mark transfer itself from you to something in the house, if they were crafty enough. I believe there are probably such abilities among the council.”

“They’ll know that you came to see us. You should probably ask Father to assign you a bodyguard,” Hinata says quietly. “One that he trusts. Ko-san, perhaps. Or someone from a Branch family. It’s not just a matter of being used,” she adds, as Hanabi’s mouth opens in protest. “As Neji says, your personal safety is involved, if they think that you can’t be used for their purposes.”

Hanabi’s mouth tightens stubbornly. “I’m a chuunin, now. I have missions to go on! I can’t have a babysitter following me everywhere that I go.”

Hinata recognizes the set of her mouth - she should, it’s akin to her own stubbornness - and says, “At the very least, promise me that you’ll tell Father that you came to see us and discuss the matter with him.”

Hanabi rolls her eyes. “Sure, Onee-chan, I do that, and it guarantees that I get a bodyguard. But I will,” she adds, as Hinata’s eyes narrow. “I want to talk to him about everything anyway. It bothers me that he’s been keeping everything from me like I’m a kid.”

“Good.” Hinata smiles. She opens the box of dango. “Help us eat these, Hanabi-chan.”

Hanabi takes a stick of dango and eats while her eyes rove around curiously. “So, this is your house now? It’s cute.”

“The Inuzuka were nice enough to let us stay here for a while. But we’ll be getting our own apartment, eventually.”

Hanabi’s eyes sadden. “I wish you could come home.”

“Mm. So do we.”

“Anyway, I can come back and visit you, right? And maybe, I can stay here sometimes? Please?”

The corner of your mouth tugs upward. Despite Hanabi’s earlier assertion, she is now asking for favors like a “kid”. 

“You’ll have to ask Father,” Hinata says. “But yes, as far as we’re concerned -” with half a glance at you - “you’re welcome to come.”

Hanabi flashes a quick grin. The sisters eat quietly and you drink your tea and stare out the window. “I wish I was at your wedding,” Hanabi says suddenly.

Hinata looks at her sister with sad eyes. “Yes.”

“Did you take pictures?” Hanabi asks hopefully.

“Mm, no, it wasn’t....”

“It wasn’t really a wedding,” you say. “We were dressed in our normal clothes, it was in the Hokage’s office. We did have some friends there, though.”

“Oh,” Hanabi says in disappointment.

“Ah,” Hinata says, rising from the table. “I do have a couple of photos from the dinner that night. Sakura-chan brought them over.” She removes the photos from a box in the wardrobe.

Hanabi receives them eagerly. They were taken at the end of the dinner party. One is just you and Hinata standing together, your arm around her waist and her right hand clasped in your left. The other is with all of your friends crowded together around and behind you. Hanabi’s eyes linger on this one and she looks sadder than ever. “You look really pretty, Onee-chan,” she says slowly. “And happy.” She glances up at you.

Hinata gives her sister a sideways hug. “We’ll have a real wedding reception someday, and you and Father will be there, of course.” She bumps her head gently against Hanabi’s. The younger girl puts the photos down on the table and returns the hug.

You gather the teacups and wash them. Hanabi asks about the curtains and napkins, and Hinata shows her the fabric and the sewing embellishment kit. Hanabi darts another glance at you while she fingers the little cases of beads.

You go outside to finish watering the plants and then sit in the sun on the bench outside, closing your eyes to meditate. In the back of your mind, you can hear Hanabi’s rapid chatter and Hinata’s soft laugh in answer. Time passes. You can feel the sun’s position shift. Then you feel two presences at the doorway and open your eyes.

“Hanabi-chan needs to go back now. Will you walk her back, _anata_?” Hanabi’s eyes shift to her sister, who puts a hand on Hanabi’s shoulder. “Just until you can see the wall of the estate. Then go straight to Father. OK?”

Hanabi puffs out a breath. “OK.” 

Hinata gives her sister a last hug, then reaches out for your hand. You lean down for a kiss. “Be right back.”

“Mm.” Hinata smiles.

You and Hanabi walk out of the Inuzuka walls and through the village in silence. Halfway to the Hyuuga estate, Hanabi looks sideways at you and says, “You really love Onee-chan, don’t you?”

You start to say, “Of course,” automatically, but you see the look in Hanabi’s eyes and return it solemnly. “I do,” you reply gravely.

“So I can seriously count on you taking care of her.” Her tone makes it half a question.

“You can,” you agree.

She looks ahead again. “She really, really loves you,” she says after a pause.

“I know,” you say after a pause of your own.

“Do you?” Hanabi turns back to you and stops walking. You stop also. “Do you _really_ know how much she loves you?” You frown a little in confusion. “I mean, she really, _really_ loves you. You’re her whole happiness now. I’m not sure you get that yet. I think you probably have some idea that you could lay your life down protecting her and die in a blaze of tragic glory, but that’s not right.” She points two fingers sharply into your solar plexus, so the nails jab into your flesh. “You can’t die that way, because it would destroy her, and I would never forgive you. You have to keep yourself alive and well, so that she can keep on being happy. You have to protect yourself, because that means you’re protecting Onee-chan’s happiness.” She jabs her fingers in a little deeper and you wince. “Do you get it?”

You look down at your sister-in-law with newfound respect. “I get it.”

She gives you a hard look and withdraws her hand. “Good.” 

You resume walking. After a moment, Hanabi says, “She hasn’t had a lot of that, you know. Happiness. Or love.” There is a strange tightness in her voice that makes you glance down at her face again. “Part of that is my fault, of course.” The tightness threatens to crack, and you are shocked to see thin streaks of tears appear on her flat cheeks. “I never thought much of her for the first part of my life. I thought that she was weak, and that because she was weak, she was worthless.”

“I know,” you say. “I know about that.”

Hanabi turns to you sharply. “Yes,” she says after a moment, “you _do_ know about that. You know all about that.” She brushes at her cheeks impatiently.

“But she isn’t weak at all,” Hanabi resumes. 

“No,” you reply. “She’s probably stronger than both of us, in the things that really matter.” You consider this. “As you say, Hanabi-sama, I have to guard myself in order to guard her happiness. But if something were to happen to me, I think she would find a way to move on despite her pain. I don’t doubt that my loss would cause her just as much pain as hers would to me, but I think she would find a way to endure it. Whereas, I think I would just let myself succumb to it.” You sigh heavily. “Hinata is the greatest light in my life. I don’t think I could stand having that light put out or taken away.”

“Don’t be gloomy,” Hanabi says querulously. “We’re not going to let that happen.”

With a half-laugh, you say, “Agreed.”

When you come to the end of the treed lane and can see the wall of the Hyuuga estate, you both stop. “This is far enough,” she says.

You nod. “I’ll wait and watch from here until you’re inside. Go straight to Hiashi-sama once you’re in.”

“No worries. I’m still the heir presumptive. I can still give orders and make people scatter like a cranky princess.”

The corner of your mouth lifts. “Take no unnecessary risks.”

“No,” she says seriously. “There are enough necessary ones. I’ll be a good girl.” You nod, and she gives you a last arch look as she turns and dashes for the gate.

…

“Welcome home,” your wife greets you as you come in. “Did you have a good talk?”

You pause, and look in her face. She raises an eyebrow at you. You wrap your arms around her shoulders and rest your chin on top of her head, sighing heavily. “I’m no match for you.”

She pats your hands. “Not in some things, anyway,” she says, her voice filled with amusement.


End file.
